Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

 

I LOVED THIS.

Elisabeth was raised as a foundling in a Great Library where books have magic, and they can come alive. As in they can turn into snarling murder monsters if they are let out. When someone releases the library's most dangerous book, Elisabeth is implicated and her only ally is a sorcerer named Nathaniel and his demon Silas. Only thing is sorcerers are the enemy. Now she needs to trust one to save herself. 

Elisabeth is one of those main characters I adore. She's fierce and she dives head first into any situation. She many not know what's going on, she may not be making the safest choices, but if she can save someone or stop something bad from happening, she's going to do it. 

Nathaniel is that guy. He's handsome, skilled, broody, and knows everything. Elisabeth has a hard time coming to terms with him actually trying to help her, and he puts up with her antics with a sigh and an eye roll. 

I adored descriptions of the work she does, cleaning and caring for the books. They breathe, they move, they feel. It's so weird but awesome. 

The other thing about this book is that it wasn't all spelled out at the beginning. Some fantasy books give you all the details and world building, complete with rules right at the start, but then the rest of the book turns everything on it's head. This one revealed things as it went, allowing for that natural experience of Elisabeth discovering things. 

Writing this review I've realized how much I really loved this book. I don't believe it's going to be a series, which sucks so much because it's just that good and I really want more about these characters. I loved so much about this book that if I keep writing, I'm going to spoil things too much and I really don't want to. 

This one is going to be re-read, that's for sure!

Recommendations: Read this. If you love fantasy, a strong female character, demons and books that come alive. If you love fantasy stories of main character self discovery and triumph of good over evil, this is for you.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah

This book is the fourth of the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries written by Sophie Hannah. I LOVED this one just as much as the other three. Any time I get to read more Poirot is a good time! 

I think Sophie Hannah does an incredible job writing in Agatha Christie's style. I feel that she brings Poirot back to life and lets us continue to experience one of the best detective characters to ever have been put down on paper. 

It's possible I'm not as critical as I could be with these novels, particularly this one. I know there has been mixed reviews, but the enjoyment I get reading a new Poirot mystery overshadows everything else and I end up having a fantastic time reading! 

This mystery did start off a bit different and I was a bit perplexed as to where it was going, but once the plot picked up, I found myself glued to the page. I guessed a bit of what was happening, but not everything. I was still surprised by the ending as usual, which I love.  

I will say that I knew I wasn't reading a story by Agatha Christie, as some of the additional characters felt a bit different, but Poirot was present and accounted for. 

Recommendations: For the lovers of a good, classic mystery. For those who love Poirot. For those who love a thrilling, twisty read. 

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

I should begin by mentioning that Victoria Schwab (V. E. Schwab) is one of my favourite authors. She is just an amazing author and human and I adore her. 

Tunnel of Bones is the second book in her paranormal middle grade series. The first book is City of Ghosts. You can read my review of that one here. 

The series follows Cassidy Blake and her ghost best friend as they accompany Cassidy's parents who are filming a television show about the world's most haunted cities. This book takes place in Paris, in the catacombs. Cassidy's parents might be chasing ghosts, but it's Cassidy who actually gets to see them and interact with them. 

I'm not the target audience for middle grade novels. That being said, I truly enjoyed this! It was a quick read, but it was fun and enjoyable. You never quite know how things will turn out, and it's always an exciting journey to get there. 

Victoria has a way of writing her characters that gives them such an old soul, more raw quality to them that just sticks with you. Cassidy Blake is no exception. I didn't have any trouble connecting with the main character, even though I am much older. 

There was more back story in this one, in some ways. Perhaps it was building more into the characters and the world in preparation for more novels. Still a fast paced, spooky read. 

I also appreciate the creepy, spooky aspects of this book. Even though it's for a younger audience, it's not too cute and watered down. The paranormal element is still here and still on the scary side. I love that. 

At this point I'm not sure there's a book by this author that I'm not going to love and I can't wait till the next one comes out! 

Recommendation: For the readers who love paranormal novels, creepy reads, ghosts, and great writing.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

This book was totally not what I expected but completely something I needed.

I discovered Holly Black's writing with the book a while back when I picked up The Darkest Part for the Forest. At the end of that book was a preview of this one, and I actually ready the preview of this book before reading The Darkest Part of the Forest.

Right from the first few pages I was hooked. Holly Black's writing is something I've not experienced anywhere else. She gives you these regular characters with such real lives that when she introduces the fantasy elements, it's like an extra treat.

For some reason when I read the excerpt of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I didn't really grasp what it was about, so when I really got into this book, I was surprised. I had no idea what the monsters were in this book and it threw me for a loop at first. I don't even want to tell you in my review since finding out while reading was half the fun.

I adored this book and will continue to read Holly Black's other novels because they are exactly what I am looking for in monster urban fantasy twisted goodness.

Recommendations: For the lovers of urban fantasy and monsters. This is for you. Go in for the ride and you'll be happily impressed.

The Secret Place by Tana French

I don't know what happened but apparently I have been asleep or day dreaming when Tana French and her books comes up in conversation/on bookstagram. I know I've seen her name and some of her books on shelves before but beyond that, I knew nothing.

This is my first Tana French book. I snapped it up on one of the sale racks at Chapters (I think I snagged this for $8) a year ago and it's been sitting on my shelf all this time. I am always into a good mystery and I remember thinking that when I bought this that people online talk about Tana French so I should probably read this.

The people were right. Tana French's writing style is magical, haunting, and so utterly interesting. I could not get over how different and exciting her writing was. If I could write like Tana French then I'll have reached the pinnacle of awesomeness. I don't think anyone could have accurately explained to me how her writing style is wonderful, so please, don't take my word for it. Please go read a book of hers for yourself.

This story is about a new officer who is looking to break into the Dublin Murder Squad. A former witness he knows comes to him with clues about a murder and he jumps in with one of the other detectives to try and solve it. The murder victim was a student who was found dead on the grounds of an all girls boarding school. The investigation takes them through the lives of teenage girls and all the mysteries that entails.

The book was written from the points of view of multiple characters, but in such a way that it just works. Getting the insight from all these different characters is great because there's so much going on that we really need to know what's happening in their heads.  Ordinarily I don't love it when author's do this, but in this book, it is perfect.

As far as mysteries go, it was a great one. I had no real idea who the murderer was until just before it was revealed in the book. I love it when I can't figure it out ahead of time. The trill of the hunt is always my favorite.

The Secret Place is actually the fifth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, but from what I read online, the books don't actually have to be read in order so I feel better about that. I will be reading more of her books because this one was just so great. I need more of her writing in my life!

Recommendation: For the mystery lovers, for the lovers of great writing, for the lovers of good stories... this is for you!

The Mystery Of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah

The Mystery of Three Quarters is the third new Hercule Poirot mystery written by Sophie Hannah.

I loved this book. It won't come as much of a surprise that I loved the other two Poirot mysteries written by Sophie Hannah. If it has to do with Agatha Christie and her beloved characters, I'm going to love it.

This book is about a group of people who have all received letters from Poirot claiming that they committed the murder of a man named Barnabas Pandy. Poirot finds this out because they come to him, very distraught, asking why he would say such a thing. Who is Barnabas Pandy? Poirot doesn't know, but he's going to find out!

It's an interesting sort of story, one that could have been penned by the marvellous Agatha Christie herself. I was totally swept up in the mystery and I loved every second of it!

For fun, I went on Goodreads and I checked out the reviews for this book, many of which were positive, but some we not happy. Of course Sophie Hannah cannot replace Agatha or write exactly like her, but Hercule Poirot comes to life on the page and it's clear that he lives on in her books. I am ever so grateful that we have (and hopefully will continue to have) more Poirot books out in the world.

Recommendations: If you love Poirot, you will love this book and the other two that Sophie Hannah has written. If you love a good mystery, check this one out! It is a wonderful read!

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

I am a huge fan of Victoria Schwab (or V.E. Schwab as she's also known by) and I am so on board for anything she writes. This one was no different.

City of Ghosts is a middle grade paranormal novel. It's about a girl named Cass that can pull back the Veil and see the dead. Her parents are ghost hunters doing a tv show about haunted places and she must go along with them. Her best friend is a boy who might just happen to be a ghost himself. during the trip to Scotland, Cass meets a girl who can do what she can and there's a lot more about the Veil that Cass doesn't know.

It's spooky. There's ghosts a plenty. The atmosphere was alluring and I was totally absorbed right from the start. It's the details that Victoria Schwab adds into her stories that make them such wonderful things.

This book totally delivered the adventure that I was looking for, and it gave me all the creepy ghosts I could ask for in a great way. It might only be middle grade, but it wasn't hard to jump in the story and follow Cass (who's only 12) go across the Veil and walk through so seriously creepy (but totally interesting) places in Scotland!

My only complaint was that I wanted more. I always want more when I'm loving something so there's no surprise there really, but since it was a middle grade, it makes sense it was a little bit more simplistic than an adult book.

City of Ghosts is the first book in the series. The second one is already out and it's called Tunnel of Bones. I can't wait to get my hands on it and keep going with the story!

Recommendations: For the lovers of ghost stories, paranormal stories, author Victoria Schwab, and those who love being a little creeped out in their reads!

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan

This completely new to me book was one I stumbled across by sheer luck on my last bookstore trip. It's bright beautiful cover was facing out at me on the shelf as I walked by. As soon as I read the back, I was hooked.

It's the 4th in a series and it's about a retired Inspector turned private investigator in India. The best part? He is quite often accompanied on his investigations by his baby elephant Ganesha!

This book has never crossed my feed on bookstagram, and I'm seriously sorry for that because this book/series deserves all the attention!

As I intend to gush about each and every one of these on my blog when I finish reading them, I'll tell you a little bit more about the actual story: There has been a death at the Grand Raj Palace hotel. An American billionaire business man has been found dead, the day after buying India's most expensive painting. Officially, the police and officials want to label it a suicide, but the man in charge of the investigation doesn't believe it's suicide. Chopra is called in to investigate, and along with his baby elephant Ganesha, he gets down to work on the case.

The writing is so good! The characters are phenomenal! The story is just so much fun that you just can't put it down! This is a more intricate cozy mystery. Books like this one are exactly the kind of reads I so adore!

There are four books in the series, with another one coming out later this year in August. I believe there are also two short stories as eBooks too that go along with this series. All I know is I need to get shopping and put these on my shelf A.S.A.P for a binge reading weekend! I will say I was a little miffed because even at the bookstore, I could tell this wasn't the first in the series, but they didn't have any of the other books in stock. After going online and checking my other local bookstores, they don't have them either, which I think is totally nuts.

Honestly, I don't even want to tell you anything else about the book because its so good. If you're reading this, you need to just go read the book and see what I mean Really though, I don't remember being this excited about a book I've read in a really long time. It's that freaking amazing!

Recommendation: If you love mysteries, this is 100% for you. It's got amazing characters, intriguing mysteries, and wonderful writing. You need to read this book!

Roar by Cora Carmack

I loved this book!

If you're not familiar with this book, it's a young adult fantasy featuring a princess who's kingdom is in trouble, storm magic, princes, hunters, and a quest to save the world.

The writing in this book was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this story.

We meet a princess by the name of Aurora who's about to marry a prince she's never met so she can hide the fact that she doesn't possess the storm magic that her family was born with. Her kingdom would suffer from the ravages of storms because she would be powerless to help, and she would be in major trouble if anyone found out. Marrying a prince who does have storm magic would cover it all up and both she and her kingdom would be safe.

She's almost fully resigned to her fate when she finds out that there are regular people in the world who weren't born with storm magic either, but now have it. There's another way to get storm magic and perhaps she can too, and won't have to marry that prince, or fall into ruin if she's found out.

I won't go into any more details because I don't want to spoil the story, but the rest of the book is her chasing that possibility.

I did think, going into this, that it might be like a lot of other books of this type (which I totally love) but it was more than that. It had a lot of the same bits and pieces from other YA fantasy featuring princesses and magic, but it was put together in a new way. This book was really refreshing that way.

There's romance, there's character growth, there's sub plots, and side stories. There's a lot of meat in this book, and I am digging it!!

There will be a second book very soon that follows this one and I CANNOT WAIT! I need to know what happens!!

Recommendation: For the YA fantasy lovers, for those who like a little love with their adventures, for those who love strong female characters coming into their own, this is for you!

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

I am already one heck of a fan of Victoria Schwab, and I've got a pretty big collection of her books on my shelf. It didn't matter to me that this was a middle grade book. It was going to be mine and I knew I was going to love it.

This book is about a girl named Cassidy who can see ghosts. Her parents are ghost hunters of sorts, but they can't actually see ghosts like Cassidy can. Her best friend also happens to be a ghost. When Cassidy's parents take her to Scotland to film a television show about haunted places, she finds her self meeting some not so nice ghosts and ends up in a fight to save her life.

I was all for this book from the beginning. I love books about ghosts, people who see ghosts, just all things paranormal in general.

As usual, Victoria's writing was just perfect. She draws you in, sits you down, and tells you a story that you can't pull yourself away from.

I gobbled this one up in one sitting, very happily.

There might be some who say if it's middle grade than it's for kids but I assure you, this is a great book no matter your age. I was still able to connect with the characters, feel myself in the story, and be present in all the ways a good book makes you feel. It was lovely.

There will be more of these books and I cannot wait! The other really cool thing is this book might be made into a tv show! She did say it'll be aged up with Cassidy being in college instead of in school, but honestly, that's fine. Those are minor details. It's the rest of the story that matters!

Recommendation: Read this if you love ghosts, stories about self discovery, getting into trouble, and saving the day. Read this if you love a good story told by a remarkable story teller.

The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas

I LOVE these books!

So far, there are three in the series. I didn't know they existed until I was approved to read the third one before it was released from First to Read (run by Penguin). The third book is out now, though and it's just as great as the first two! Also, I seriously hope there are more to come in this series because I adore them!!

This series is a pretty neat one. It's about a young woman who goes by the name of Charlotte Holmes. She's everything you would think of when you think of Sherlock. It's set back in the time of Sherlock too, so you get all that historical feel to the book that really makes it come alive.

I won't say anymore about the main characters though, because I think how the author created her world, and her version of Sherlock and company was something truly awesome that it needs to be experienced as you read! (and I don't want to spoil anything either.)

As usual these books are filled with all the mystery, deduction, and intrigue we all love from traditional Sherlock stories, but these ones have a little bit of romance thrown in. Nothing too crazy or distracting, but there is a little bit of love hanging around, which I really enjoyed.

In the first book A Study in Scarlett Women, Charlotte must do whatever she can to solve a mystery to save her father and her sister who are under suspicion of committing the crime.

In the second book A Conspiracy in Belgravia, the wife of one of Charlotte's good friends comes to Sherlock looking for help in finding her first love, who also happens to be Charlotte's half brother. Of course, he's missing.

In the third book The Hollow of Fear, the wife of her dear friend is murdered and the suspicion falls on her friend. Moriarty is ever present and wreaking havoc on their lives, but Charlotte, acting as Sherlock, must prevail.

I found the writing of this series to be quite lyrical and detailed. It's definitely more of a slow burn series, but honestly, that didn't matter to me. I was fully on board with this series right from page one!

I own the first two in paperback, and I will be adding the third one to my collection in physical form very soon. I don't often find myself re-reading mysteries, but I think this series will be one I'll grab off my shelf and read again.

Recommendation: Must read for the lovers of Sherlock Holmes, for the lovers of mystery, for the lovers of serious female characters.

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

This series in a word: AH-MAZE-ING

Every single moment of these books kept me glued to the page. I was totally along for the journey, no questions asked. I was all in.

I feel like I was one of the last to this book party when I finally picked these up, but I am so very happy that I did.

This series is about a girl named Alina. It's set in a universe with Russian feels (that I adored). It involves magic, the people who wield this power, the pursuit to defeat evil and restore the good to save the people.

Yes, it sounds like the basic fantasy type of story, but I assure you, it is not. Nothing is quite what it seems, things aren't clear cut and rosy, it's not the usual.

I'm not going into the actual story too much (as always) because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will mention that I was pleasantly surprised what this series had to offer being that it was YA. This series was one of the biggest reasons why I'm reading more YA.

I know there's so much love for this series on bookstagram and it kind of surprised me that there were so many long and heartfelt reviews about (at least the first book) people hating it. They say that the romance was terrible, that Alina was hard to get behind, that the world building wasn't great, but really? Like, what?

Usually, I don't enjoy a whole lot of romance either but it wasn't that much, and it didn't bother me in this series because it wasn't really the main focal point. I think a lot would have been missed without it.

Alina was flawed. Everyone was flawed. Everyone is flawed.

The world building was epic. End of story. The Russian feel of it was so neat. I really enjoyed it.

I currently own all the books Leigh Bardugo has got out in the bookstore right now and even though these are the only ones I've read so far, I am on board with her for life.

Recommendation: Read these. Also these editions are GORGEOUS so what are you waiting for? For the lover of fantasy. Just, read them!

July Wrap Up!

July was a busy month. In fact, the last few months have been pretty darn busy for me. My reading is suffering a little, but I'm not giving up! 

One of the things I think that really help are readathons! I can knock out two books in a weekend if I make it my goal to read for however many hours in two days. I think I might do my own little mini readathons more often! After all, to stay on track of reading 75 books this year, I need to be reading two a week (according to Goodreads!). 

On to the month of July: I read three books and two ebooks! 

It was funny, I went to do my wrap up the morning of July 31st but when I realized that I'd only read four books in total, I didn't feel like that was enough. Instead, I went and read another book! If only I could get myself to do that more often, I would have reached my goal for the year months ago!

The Dire King by William Ritter. 🌟🌟🌟

Brownies and Betrayal by Heather Justesen 🌟🌟🌟

The Beau & The Belle by R. S. Grey 🌟🌟🌟

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomson 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 🌟🌟🌟.5

My review that includes The Dire King can be found here. As for the rest of the books, my reviews for them will be popping up soon (I hope!) 

I think for the month of August I want to shoot for 6 books read (hopefully more like 12 but let's start small!) 

The Immortal Empire series by Kate Locke

So I came across this trilogy in the adult fantasy section at the bookstore by accident one day. I had a coupon to spend and the bright colours of the books caught my eye. I don't think I've ever seen these mentioned anywhere else before either which is always a plus for me.

These books take place in a present day steampunk version of London. In this version of the world, the plague didn't wipe out people, instead it caused some people to become vampires, werewolves, and goblins. It seems that those of noble blood handled the virus much better and became full blooded creatures and those of poorer and not so noble circumstances either did not get infected at all, or were partially infected.

Of course you can imagine the acrimony this caused for the future of all the races. Everything is hanging in a delicate balance. It all starts when Royal Guard Xandra Vardan's sister goes missing, things start to crumble down around everyone's ears. Oh, and did I mention that Queen Victoria still rules (as an undead Vampire, naturally).

I loved the idea behind this series. It totally grabbed me right from the beginning and I was on board for whatever the series was going to throw at me, and I was not disappointed in the least.

I did find the beginning of the first book a little shaky. There was so much world building and information that the author needed us to get a grip on rather quickly (which I totally understand) but... I felt the delivery method, the internal monologue type of thing, felt more like a repetitive info dump at times, and less like we were fully going along for the ride.

It totally go better though, but it was something that made it a little hard going at first. I didn't have any of those problems after I got into the series and even though there was a bit of referral in each book back to the one before it, it didn't have that same info dump feel at all.

There was romance, intrigue, mystery, and action. Everything a good series needs. The characters were interesting, and it felt like such a different story than some others I've read that follow the same idea (I'm thinking The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger that I totally adore.) It was along the same lines but still well worth the read!

Recommendation: This is a great series for those loving steampunk, vampires, werewolves, and goblins. It's quite an adventure and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Let me just start by saying I love Sabaa. I follow her on Instagram and she is hilarious and awesome and I totally adore her little veggie tales stories she does. She rocks.

That being said until recently, I had not read any of her work. That seems to be the thing with me lately. I've found so many really cool authors on bookstagram but I have yet to read a lot of their work. Might be doing this whole thing backwards.

Anyway, on to this book. It was great!

I hope no one shoots me for saying this but it reminded of Divergent and The Hunger Games but in no way do I mean that as a bad thing! This book obviously had awesome elements which, of course, made it so much more than anything else I've read. It's really darn cool.

This book is about Laia and Elias. Laia is one of those living on the outside of the Empire, staying alive simply by not bothering the Empire enough to take notice. When her brother is arrested for treason against the Empire, she finds herself needing to work with the rebels who promise to help her rescue her brother, if only she will spy on the Empire too.

Elias is a soldier in the Empire's military academy. He's the best there is but he hates it. He just wants to be free from everything and live his own life. He looks like he's on the right side of everything, as he and his family are in favour of the Empire but he's stuck just the same.

Both of their fates become intertwined in this book and the fate of the Empire hangs in the balance.

I really enjoyed this book. It's interesting, different, and it kept me glued to the page. There was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end but not so much that it killed me like some of them do. I found myself panicking a bit about a certain character at the end but obviously I shouldn't have worried.

I haven't picked up the second book in the series yet, but I hope to get it soon to carry on with the story. I think this series is well worth the read.

Recommendation: For the lovers of YA fantasy, for the lover of a good story, for the readers who like a good fight with intrigue and suspense.

The Unread Shelf Project

As you probably know, you can follow hashtags on Instagram now. I didn't really care much until #theunreadshelfproject2018 started up. I am totally following that hashtag and loving it. Also, you should be following @theunreadshelf herself who started this cool project with a couple of other really cool people!

The really neat thing I started noticing even a couple days into it was that people had some pretty cool and (in my opinion) obscure reads on their shelves that I know I haven't seen on bookstagram before. Not only that, but I had some of these same books on my shelves too! 

Before bookstagram I only picked up books that interested me. I stuck mainly to the adult section, reading mostly mysteries, and occasionally the big talked about books that were on the shelves. I had some go to authors and often I only really broadened my horizons at the library or when family passed books my way. 

Since joining bookstagram, I've expanded what I read quite a bit. For one, I find myself visiting the young adult section a lot more than I ever did. (I'm going to write a whole post on that soon). 

Another thing I find myself doing is paying more attention to the new releases, and the popular books that everyone else is talking about online. 

Honestly if I see a book mentioned over 5 times randomly on bookstagram I will go find out more about it. About 6 times out of 10 I end up getting my hands on the book, either from the library, in a cheap or free e-book form, or on sale at the bookstore. 

Because of this I have quite a few book sitting around that were totally influenced by bookstagram that I still haven't gotten to, and quite a few I have read and totally loved. 

Still though, true to myself, I do still creep around in the areas of the bookstore and library that I love and I grab up older books, books that I haven't seen anyone talk about, books that are totally all of my own finding. 

If you've been following my reviews for some time you'll know that I review all different kinds of books, and I think that sometimes I might be reviewing a book that 95% of you won't have ever heard of or seen before but perhaps I might be more wrong about that then I thought!

Seeing some of the odd and little mentioned books on my shelves popping up in the unread shelf project hashtag is pretty darn cool! I'm so happy to see that we all have such different tastes!

Instead of abstaining totally from buying new books and only reading those on my shelf, I have made a couple new rules for myself because, let's be real, there's no way I could keep that up.

I've decided instead that there would be no more cover buys or picking up books on a whim because they are on sale. I am allowing myself to buy books that are new releases I can't live without, part of a series I already have/started reading, or books I've been wanting for quite a while.

I am being so much more mindful about the books I buy. I've gone to the bookstore recently and I actually had a hard time finding something. I had a gift card to spend and where I would have usually pounced on a couple things I came across, I didn't this time. I truly thought about books I have wanted or needed in a series and looked for those first.

I've got enough books now that I can almost treat my shelves like a library and come across books I've forgotten about and pick them up like new again to read. It's been quite enjoyable so far and I intend to keep reaching for my shelf! 

Nightshade for Warning by Bailey Cattrell

This is the second book in the Enchanted Mysteries series by Bailey Cattrell. You can find my review of the first one here. These books are 100% cozy and 100% awesome!

This book follows Ellie Allbright who runs the Scents and Nonsense shop with connected Enchanted Garden. Ellie has the ability to use scent and solve people's problems. She can sense what is wrong and what herbal mixture will make everything better. Somehow, she also finds herself getting caught up in murders.

Ellie is to be interviewed and photographed for her tiny house and garden efforts but before this can happen the journalist who was writing the piece gets killed. She now needs to find the killer before the wrong person is collared for the murder instead.

These books are just cute and simple and great. They are cozy stories that take you out of your normal life and throws you into a new place with new people and lets you follow along. It's a total bonus that this book has a little hint of magic to it too!

I totally recommend these books for the lovers of cozy mysteries that are challenging in that you probably won't guess whodunit before it's revealed by the author (I know I didn't know who it was!) but they are simple in that they take you out of your life and allow you to escape to a new one.

Also, can we just talk about this cover for a second?! I read this book quite a while ago but I waited for so long to post my review because I wanted to take the perfect photo of it outside in nature, but then winter hit. Ah well.

Recommendation: Totally great read for the lovers of cozy mysteries. Honestly, so good.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Last year I took part in a local book/writing conference thing and I got the opportunity to sit in on a whole bunch of lectures and workshops by people who write and publish. It was pretty amazing.

One workshop that stood out to me was about writing urban fantasy. The teacher was a young woman who was so totally awesome and she talked about the book she was writing as well as her love for a particular author: Holly Black.

Until this point I was vaguely aware of the name, and not at all aware of her work, but the name stuck with me. When I realized this beautiful book was written by Holly Black and it was all over Instagram, I went and grabbed it up.

Before even starting this book I flipped to the back and ended up reading an excerpt of another one of her books. Right from the start, after only about a page and a half, I was hooked on her writing style.

I ate this book up quite quickly and got my hands on another of her books before I was even done this one. I really liked it. It was something different and awesome.

I love fairy tales, especially the ones that are actually about the fae. The fact that this book meshed the real world we live in with the fairy world was so cool and really well done. It had fairies, royalty, death, destruction, and the race to save the ones you love. It was magical.

The only problem I had with this one was the bits about high school. I'm a little over the other side of the hill in age and reading about kids in school was harder to connect with, but I didn't let that little detail bug me too much.

I loved the characters, I loved the relationships, and I loved the realness. There's a real human quality to this book that can sometimes gets a little lost once you delve into the world of fantasy.

Recommendation: For fantasy lovers, for young adult fantasy lovers, and for the lovers of fairies who wish they too can go and rescue the fairy prince in his glass coffin.

Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H Watson by Lyndsay Faye

This was really cool book! The important details of this book are right there in the title. Ripper killings being investigated by Sherlock Holmes!?

Could this be any more perfect!?

I've never met a Sherlock Holmes book yet that I haven't liked and I am happy this book didn't break that streak.

This book was "written" by Dr. Watson, so we had is point of view on the whole situation from his eyes, which I loved. After all, he always wrote about Sherlock exploits!

There was a couple interesting characters that showed up that gave this book a different feel than the traditional Holmes story, but I was totally okay with that.

I've always been interesting in the Ripper killings and I was totally engrossed in the story right from the start. It's possible my love might be a little biased because there was virtually no way I wasn't going to love this book!

I really loved how the book ended, as well as the explanation of who the Ripper in this book was. It feels almost like it could have been a possible explanation of who the real Ripper was.

I've already loaned this book out and talked about it quite a bit. It's something that murder mystery and Sherlock Holmes lovers need to read!

Recommendation: Don't miss this one. It's great. 100% for the lovers of Sherlock Holmes and those curious about the Jack the Ripper murders!

Looking Back & Looking Forward

Hello dear readers,

Once upon a time I did monthly wrap ups, and I had bigdreams about doing more than just reviews on this little corner of the internet. Things have been sporadic here but I haven't given up on these dreams. I am trying to do like the lovely Leigh Bardugo says and "begin as you mean to go on". Nothing like the new year to reflect back, and make bigger and better plans for the future!

Let's start with my review of 2017. It was one heck of a year, but it came and went faster than I thought possible. 

I set my Goodreads challenge to 60 books last year and I made my goal with still a couple days to spare! A couple years ago when I started doing the yearly challenge, I set myself a goal of 100 books because I was sure I read that much normally and it would be a super easy thing to do. It wasn't and the first year I only made it to 50 books. Last year I set it a little higher at 60 and I made it. 

This year, I am going for 75. 

The goal of 100 is still in my mind but I am allowing myself a little grace and I am aiming for what *should* be reasonably within my reach. Whatever number I reach is still just a number, and I don't think that it really matters whatever number I or anyone else reach as long as we are doing it for the right reasons. I am going into this challenge with a happy heart and a goal simply to read as much as I possibly can because it feeds my soul. 

I did the nanowrimo challenge as well and failed miserably. Writing is still where my heart lives, but for some reason (actually a whole host of reasons that I don't want to admit to) I have a hard time throwing myself fully into my writing. It's what I want to do, but instead I turn to scrolling through Instagram or journalling, dreaming about that life when I am a full time writer. 

A big thing for 2018 is to live my life more intentionally. I have a full time day job that isn't all that and I want to spend my free time doing things that make me happy, like reading, writing, blogging, and paper crafts. Instead I do the things that simply make me feel good in the moment, but actually make me feel terrible about wasting my precious time off after I've done them. (I'm looking at you scrolling, mindless daytime tv, games on my phone, and living on my couch in pj's). It's time for a change. 

I've been trying to think of a word for the year for days now and I couldn't really come up with something I liked beyond "intentional", which is probably the most perfect word of the year for me. I think I am feeling uneasy about it because it means I actually have to do something. It's not just a pretty word that can be applied to situations where I'm sitting on my butt and hiding away. It means I have to think, and I have to do things, and I have to do them with a purpose. 

Baby steps, of course. 

Speaking of being intentional, my plans for this little corner of the internet is to post different kinds of content along with reviews, catch up with my reviews, reach more people, and get involved more in the book loving community in any way I can! 

I enjoy nattering on about books which is the whole reason I started this blog and the bookstagram account (@pamela.reads) a couple years ago, and I want to see them both flourish...intentionally!

Here's to a new year and a new start! Thanks for reading!

Pamela